Sports
LJCD Pulls Away to SoCal Regional Quarterfinal Win
The top-seeded Torreys beat Capistrano's JSerra 58-39 thanks to a 16-2 third-quarter run.
There was a brief moment Thursday night where thoughts of an upset entered the minds of the ninth-seeded JSerra Catholic High girls basketball fans. But then La Jolla Country Day showed why it is the top seed in the CIF Southern California Regional Division IV playoffs.
The Torreys turned up their defensive intensity and used a 16-2 run in the third quarter to pull away for a 58-39 victory over the visiting Lions from San Juan Capistrano in the quarterfinal round.
The Lions pulled within four points on a three-point play by junior forward Whitney Braeutigam with 6:47 to go in the third quarter. But that only seemed to awaken the Torreys (26-4).
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The Coastal South League champions played a swarming full-court, trap defense, which led to several turnovers and easy baskets during a 16-2 run over the next five minutes. Junior guard Maya Hood scored six of her game-high 19 points during the span.
“We are definitely a defensive team,” said Hood, who also finished with team-high 12 rebounds. “The defense sets up the offense for us.”
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The offense shined beyond Hood, as her sister Malina Hood delivered 14 points and Kelsey Plum added 19 to help the Torreys earn a spot in Saturday night’s semifinal contest against fifth-seeded St. Anthony, which upset No. 4 Bishop Montgomery 53-40. Montgomery eliminated the Torreys in the SoCal Regional semifinals last season. St. Anthony beat JSerra 78-63 in the semis of the Southern Section 4A playoffs last week.
The loss means the end of a stellar season for the Lions, which included a first-round victory over Sierra on Tuesday. The Lions are destined to be back soon, considering the entire squad will return next season.
“I am proud of these guys,” JSerra Catholic coach Mary Rossignol said of her squad. “We definitely exceeded our expectations and goals that we set at the beginning of the season. These girls play together and do what it takes. (La Jolla Country Day) is just a great team. They are 10th in the nation.”
Julia Kenefick and Samara Hanna each scored 12 points to lead the Lions (13-19). Hanna scored all 12 of her points in the second half on four 3-pointers.
The Torreys never trailed in the game, but struggled to pull away from the scrappy Lions. LJCD led 24-15 at halftime, but the Lions started the second half on a 4-0 run to pull within 24-20. But that led to the 16-2 run by the Torreys and the Lions never recovered.
